Wednesday, April 22, 2009

kittens

My sister's cat, Tulip, had these kittens sometime between Monday night and Tuesday morning. This picture was taken when they were less than 24 hours old. I want them all. (But will probably settle for two.)

Funny story about Tulip: A year ago my sister brought home two kittens for my niece and nephew. The kids named them Ted and Tulip; Ted belonged to Kyle, and Tulip belonged to Meghan. The gender attribution was little more than wishful thinking, however: At that young age, it was really unclear whether the kittens were actually a male and a female. Even I couldn't tell, after multiple examinations of their rear ends - and I consider myself somewhat of a Doctor Doolittle. As time went on, it seemed like they were both males, but the names stuck.

Ted and Tulip were awesome cats - so friendly, and very tolerant of being carried around by Meghan and Kyle. Ted, the more adventurous of the two, would follow Kyle out to the road every morning when he waited for the school bus, and unfortunately one day Ted was hit by a car and killed.

Tulip has received much love and attention ever since, and when he suddenly started getting very fat, my sister suspected he might actually be pregnant. When she added that she had once seen a stray cat mounting Tulip, the evidence seemed pretty conclusive. Also helped me make sense of Kyle's story about the "bad black cat that bit Tulip's neck." Hope he was not too traumatized from witnessing that primal scene. Country kids sure grow up fast...

Anyhow, Tulip had kittens yesterday. Awesome. As mentioned above, I want them all. Before the kittens were born, Kyle and Meghan had decided amongst themselves that Tulip would have five kittens; Meghan would get three (because Tulip was her cat), and Kyle would get two. Personally, I think Kyle should get the extra one after the tragic loss of Ted, but anyhow...

Tulip did, indeed have five kittens. Am starting to think that my niece and nephew may have some latent prescient powers.

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About Me

I'm a sometime professional organizer, consultant, freelance writer and crayon artist who works by day in a fabric store, helping people create magic. In my blogs (and there are many) I try to help people live their best lives. Or, failing that, entertain them. To contact me, email Michelle at emelgy.com